Siem Reap - Driver for Angkor Wat

You don't need to bother organising a driver in advance - they'll be queing up outside your hotel and if there isn't, go down the road to one of the larger hotels early morning and checkout the action. Couple of years ago I think it was around $25 a day plus tip plus a Pass for the Temples, maybe a little more now.

SR isn't very big, so I wouldn't worry too much about the location and $30 will get you a basic hotel, centrally located. Fire up agoda.com, there's a map function in there in which you can compare prices on a lot of places very quickly, skim the reviews and get some idea. Go into tripadvisor.com for a comparison of the reviews on the places that you're interested in. Back to Agoda which isn't absolutely the cheapest but there will only be a few $ in it. You'll get lots of advice about booking online, compared to walk-in prices etc... for me if it's only for 2-4 days I prefer to get my accomodation search out of the way, booked up and paid, no further draw on my cash supply, or use of credit cards in places you don't want to be using them, and with enough checks so I kind of know what I'm getting and not having to waste time trawling around town... but that's just me.

Awesome! Thanks a lot for taking time to reply Norrie, it's much appreciated. I have used agode before and found it to be good. Cheers.

It is practically impossible to walk 100m down the main street of Siem Reap without hearing the phrase 20 times "Hello Mister, do you want tuk tuk"!
June is a quieter time of the year for tourists and so there are even more drivers hanging around waiting for a passenger.

I think in many respects it can be better to choose a driver off the street, as you can "suss them out" a bit before making a commitment. Make sure they can speak reasonable English, discuss your plans with them and the temples / places you want to go to. Above all try to find one that is fun, easy to talk to and you feel that you will enjoy their company. After all, its not only about visiting Angkor Wat - you can ask him about his family, his village, anything!, and hence learn a little more about Cambodia.

I have always stayed close to the centre of town in a couple of side streets leading off the main street (Sivartha St), which is only 5-10 minutes walk to the Pub St area that has the largest concentration of restaurants, cafes, bars etc.

There are probably at least 50 hotels / guesthouses in the $15-30 USD range within 10 mins walk of Pub St, so there is plenty of choice.

A few places in this price range and close to the centre that I have had a good experience with in the last couple of years: Tareach Angkor Villa, Golden Temple Villa and My Home Tropical Garden Villa.
(you can search the website for each of those on google). All decent, reliable, friendly places and tremendous value at about $20-25.

I am in the center of Siem Reap, and I can tell you that there is no need to book the tuk tuk advance. There will be many drivers in the street or just waiting outside your hotel, all you need to do is step forward and ask the price. In general, for temples on the small or grand circuits which are the most visited you should be paying around $15 per day. If you also go out to Banteay Srei add $7-$8 to that number. If you go to Beng Mealea $30-$35 is fair. Most of the local drivers are friendly and funny, you will be pleased all the time.

Thanks Dale, I couldn't ask for a more comprehensive answer then that.

Thanks a lot Indochinatour, I will have to check out the other places you have mentioned.

I just came back from Siem Reap & recommend getting a tuk tuk driver to take you on a tour. We had a great experience with ours. His name is Mr. Tha and spoke English well and was very knowledgable about the temples. He would stop whenever we wanted to see something and had a cooler stocked with unlimited cold water which was invaluable in 95 degree humid weather! His cell is 012848560 if you want your hotel to call him to see if he is free. He charges around $20 for the small circuit and a little more for the large circuit, which is pretty standard.

Have a great trip and enjoy Angkor Wat! It's quite amazing...

I just returned from a short visit to Siem Peap and found a great guide. He picked me up at the airport in his tuk tuk, took me to my hotel and drove me where ever I needed to go for 4 days. I saw the sights in the city and Angkor Wat. He was knowledgeable, dependable and fun. He knew all of the restaurants and shopping spots. He did not try to steer me to any shops. His rates were low and fair. His email is Sovan Rith <sovantuktuk@gmail.com>. His English is good. BTW, there are tuk tuk's available at the airport, in front of the hotels and practically everywhere you go. I prefer some one I know in advance. Enjoy your trip.

My wife and I were in Siem Reap last August. Our driver's name was Song. He was really nice and knew a bit about the Angkor temples. I'd recommend him as a driver to get from one temple to the next, but he's not a licensed guide. He's punctual and reliable - even agreed to pick us up at our hotel at 4:30am. Song's contact info is email: ouksang2015@gmail.com, phone +85577667502